Rosallion finds best stride late to take Irish 2000 Guineas

Heavily favored Rosallion caught his Richard Hannon Jr.-trained stablemate Haatem on the wire to win the Irish 2000 Guineas on Saturday at The Curragh.

Rosallion had been second, 1 1/2 lengths in front of Haatem, in the 2000 Guineas earlier this month at Newmarket but the margin was reduced Saturday to a head. Haatem under Jamie Spencer tracked the pace and got first run on Rosallion, who took some time to find his best stride but eventually wore down Haatem under jockey Sean Levey.

It was a first Irish 2000 Guineas win for Hannon, though his father won the race in 2010 with Canford Cliffs.

Rosallion, a homebred owned by Obaid al Maktoum, is by the sprinter Blue Point, and while he’d been second over a straight mile with an uphill finish at Newmarket, his trainer said after Saturday’s race he wasn’t certain the colt stayed this trip. But Rosallion saw it out admirably on Saturday and is expected to make his next start in another important one-mile contest for 3-year-olds, the St. James’s Palace at Royal Ascot. Also intended for that race is Notable Thought, who beat Rosallion in the English Guineas.

Aidan O’Brien finished second and third, with River Tiber 1 1/2 lengths better than pacesetting Unquestionable. O’Brien didn’t rule out a shorter race for River Tiber, whose most recent start had come last summer in the six-furlong Middle Park.

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